


Lima Heights Adjacent: The Wrong Side of the Tracks

by orphan_account



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Original Character(s), Out of Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-27
Updated: 2013-07-10
Packaged: 2017-12-13 03:24:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/819394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Heights really is the on the wrong side of the tracks. Lima, divided into three sections by train tracks, is not the best town. Despite it being so small, the residents of Upper Lima, Lima Heights, and Lima Heights Adjacent A.K.A. "The Heights" never seem to mix. On the rare occasion they do, bad things happen. And there never seems to be a way out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Leroy's Daughter

  
**_Chapter One:_ **   
**_Leroy's Daughter_ **   


It was dark in the alley next to Don's Bar. The late-teen aged girl hugged her knees to her chest and attempted to block out all the noise coming from the party inside. Don always held huge parties at his home/workplace during the holidays. It was the place for everyone without family to drink, talk, drink, exchange gifts with friends who also had mutual family status, drink, dance, drink, hook up, and most of all, Drink! The girl in the alley hated the drinking. Her 'father' didn't particularly like the holidays and always ordered her to leave the house for the two-week vacation. The only problem was she had nowhere else to go.

Don was always more than welcoming. He was like a third father to her. One who was just as alive as he was loving, but he had a business to run. So she would sit in the alley for hours on end, to avoid the noise and drinking, every year. Every year Don had insisted he could send guests home early, but she refused to be a burden. Especially after last year, her tongue slipped and she accidentally called him Dad. For two months she avoided him out of fear that he would leave. She was wrong of course. Don would never leave and he started to think of her as a daughter.

So out in the cold, grey slush she sat on a crate in the alley. She sat thinking of her mother, who was once beautiful and knew how to pick a man. Who had once married a handsome man who was only a few years older, but was already gathering grey hairs atop his head. That man had been a real father. He had been a loving, doting, and best of all, very much alive father.

It didn't last more than a few years though. An accident on his way home from work stalled him from making it home on time. When he did finally pull into the driveway, thirty-eight minutes late, Rachel was watching out the window, waiting for him to come back inside. Shots were fired and her mother rushed out and called an ambulance. Some gang member needed cash and decided that this guy just had to be the victim. He was announced dead before the ambulance arrived at the hospital. They never caught the gang banger.

After the funeral, her mother became heavily involved in drugs. Methamphetamine to be specific. Her mother just couldn't get enough ice in her system. The guy her mother bought the terrible glass from quickly became her lover.

He got her pregnant in less than a month. The knee-hugging girl was so excited. She thought maybe her mother would get better, the drug-man, as she like to call him in her head, would be nicer, and she would receive a little brother or sister. Maybe both, but it wasn't meant to be. The baby died soon enough from complications due to the earlier and current drug abuse.

The incident, as she often called it, caused her mother to fall deeper into the world of meth and sex. The drug-man, her 'father', became violent and abusive. Not just towards her mother either. He would order the girl, who at the time was a few years younger, only thirteen, to stand with her hands on the wall and her legs apart. She did so out of fear and received far too many scars on her back with the nearest objects. Belts, fireplace pokers, and the drug-man's favorite, his own hand.

His abuse was never sexual though. The girl was quite thankful for that. It had always been emotional and physical. At least he had some morals. The drug-man knew it would be too far if he were to force himself onto the girl. He had kissed her once though, but that was only because he thought she was her mother. How wrong he had been. The girl immediately bit his tongue when it slithered into her mouth. He pulled back and noticed that the face was not the one of her mother, Miss Shelby Corcoran. It's the first, last, and only time he ever apologized to the girl.

Even when Shelby dies from contracting AIDs and leaves the girl to the drug-man, he shows no sympathy. He's just as terrible as before if not worse. Before the girl could think anymore of her horrible living situation, the back door to Don's opened and a group of three girls stepped out and into the alley way. There was a blond with short, choppy hair holding onto the hand of a Latina girl who really wasn't much taller than the girl herself. Behind them was a taller blonde who had longer hair.

The girl looked up, tired and lazily, at the interruption of her trip down memory (nightmare) lane. The three stared back at her with wide eyes. The girl couldn't tell what they were looking at until she realized the bruises across her cheeks from two days ago are most likely still visible. The girl moved to get up and away from the intruders, but the tall blonde moved from behind her friends and stood in front of the girl.

"Are you okay?" It was a simple question the tall blonde had asked, but the girl just couldn't answer. She wouldn't answer. Not to some stranger, no matter how familiar the stranger looked. "I'm sorry. That was a stupid question. You're obviously not. I'm so stupid sometimes. Let me take you to the hospital to make sure you're not too badly injured."

"Britts, you're not stupid. Everyone asks that question. Now grabs the midget so I can get on with my life." The Latina one said. The girl's eyes rose slightly to the taller blonde at the mention of a name. Suddenly she recognized the tall blonde.

"Bri-Brittany P-pierce?" The girl sitting on the crate asked in a chilled voice.

"Yep! C'mon Rach. You need to have your face checked out. It kind of looks like the inside of an apple that got thrown around. No offense! Oh My God I'm so stupid."

"Heh, you're not stu-upid. I don't wanna go to the ho-hospital. I'm just waiting for D-don."

The shorter blonde with the choppy hair started to move her hands in odd ways very rapidly and the girl, Rachel, got quite confused. "Q! Slow down. I can't understand you when you talk that fast." The blonde slowed her movements, but not without rolling her eyes first. "Oh! Hey Crate-Girl, Q here wants to know why you stutter like Tina when she gets picked on in class." The shorter blonde, apparently known as Q, slapped the Latina on the arm swiftly. "Fine, she just wants ya to know you don't need to be scared or some shit like that."

"I-I know. I...Um…Can you guys leave? I'm f-fine. I just wanted to w-wait for the noise to die down."

"Ya know Rach, I know for a fact you're lying. Or just not telling the whole truth. The Rachel Berry I once knew loved noise. You used to sing all the time and you were always the loudest at my birthday parties. You so have to come with me. Nobody has seen you in years. I'm about to meet up with Mike, Puck, Mercedes, and Kurt. I'm sure they'll love to see you. Plus there's a whole bunch of new people who joined the group since you left."

"My n-name isn't Rachel B-berry." Rachel started coughing violently due to the weather, but continued quickly. "It's James. R-rachel James. And I don't know who those people are. So p-please leave now."

'Q' started moving her hands around again. And once again the Latina translated, wrongly of course. "She says she's sorry that B is being a nosy bitch." So once again the Latina got smacked on the arm. "Fineeeeee! She really said sorry to bother you. We'll leave you alone if you want."

"Th-thank you. It was nice to meet a-all of you." Rachel's stuttering had been at first, out of fear and being nervous, but it was now due to the increasing cold and biting wind. It nipped at her nose, hands, and neck, but she refused to show anymore weakness. Rachel has definitely had much worse and was not going to give up now. Not when she only had one more year of torture to go. "Y-you can leave n-now."

The Latina and 'Q' began to walk away with a slight nod of the head. Brittany on the other hand had no intention of leaving. Instead she moved Rachel, sat down on the crate, and pulled Rachel into her lap. "You are not going to freeze out here by yourself. Besides, we need to catch up. You need to tell me where you went. None of us could get a hold of you for a few years now. Kurt and Finn said you probably went to New York to get on Broadway like you always wanted, but we never heard anything. So, where'd you go for so long?"

Rachel looked to her partly, frost-bitten hands for the answers. How was she supposed to tell a girl she used to know so long ago that she never left Lima? How could she ruin the light in Brittany's eyes by telling her what her father did daily? Simple, she couldn't and wouldn't. She was not going to burden one of the sweetest girls she had ever know with her horror story of a past.

"Umm…I-I-uh went t-to…" She found it hard to make up a lie so she decided to use the truth in hopes of throwing the girl off. "…nowhere. I've been here in Lima this whole time." Brittany just furrowed her brow in confusion and looked to her two friends, whom had stopped at Brittany sitting down, for answers they obviously couldn't give.

"But that doesn't make any sense. You haven't been in school and I never see you around town. San, you haven't seen Rach around right?"

"Nah B. Besides I don't even really know this girl. Who the hell is she?" Rachel looked at this 'San' girl like she was stupid. Did she not tell them her name just minutes ago!?

"She's Rachel Berry. She's my best friend, or was until she disappeared. Seriously Rach, where did you go?"

"My name is not Berry. It's James. Rachel James. I think you have me confused with someone else. P-please leave now." Rachel got up and walked inside despite all the drunks and noise. She found Don fairly quickly and told him if anyone came looking for her to send them away before she made her way to bathroom to try to cover up her face. He nodded and sat waiting for said 'anyone' to appear. Sure enough three girls came asking, well one asked, one complained that she wanted go home and get her 'mack on,' and the other just signed words that Don couldn't understand.

"Have you seen Rach? She's like this tall and has pretty eyes, but they're hidden by bruises and I really need to talk to her." He stared at the three girls and they actually took one step back, but that was it.

"Look, I don't know who you are or what you want, but leave my daughter alone. She obviously doesn't want to talk to you so please leave." He gently pushed past them and entered the bathroom reserved for employees. He leaned against a wall and watched as Rachel put cover up all over her face. "Ya know, there's a really pretty blondie out there askin' for ya. I think you should go for it. She looked worried about ya too. Just sayin'."

"Dad, I really don't want to talk to her. She knows me from before. She thought I left town. I can't deal with her or drag her into that fucking glass house. There are more druggies and criminals going in and out of that house than in a prison. Plus she's trying to take me to a hospital. You know how much my 'father' hates hospitals."

Don placed a hand on her shoulder softly. "Look kiddo, I'm going to tell you what to do, but you need to have a better support system than just me. I'm not sayin' that I won't be here, but what if something were to happen to me? What would you do? You can't keep going back to that house. It's not healthy."

"I know." And she did, but she felt that she could survive one last year." I have a little less than a year before I can leave. I will get out of here."

"How are you gonna do that, huh? You have no high school education or GED or job or whatever it is you need and we both know I don't have enough money to send you anywhere else. You need friends who can help you with all that. And I think those girls out there are exactly the kind of friends you need."

"I get what you're saying, but I just don't think that it's right. There's too much I would have to explain that I really don't want to nor do I want to use any friends I make for my own personal gain. Plus I'll just hold them back. Thanks for the concern, but I'm better off by myself."

"Alright Rachel. I'm just go-" Don was cut off and Rachel gasped at the sudden banging on the door.

"Where the hell is that little brat? I know you're in there!" The drug-man was pounding on the employee bathroom door. "Get your ass out here you useless little girl!" Rachel made a move to walk out the door, but Don stopped her. He locked the door just as the drug-man tried to open it. "Open the fucking door or I'll break it down!" This time Rachel side stepped Don this time and opened the door. "About damn time!"

Don wasn't in the best shape and was easily thrown sideways to the ground. He backed Rachel towards the wall and with a push she hit her head against the wall. It may not have been hard enough to make her bleed, but it did hurt a lot. "S-stop. I'll d-do anyth-thing. Please."

He stopped quite suddenly. At that moment she had just looked so much like Shelby he couldn't hurt her. Instead he leaned in a little like a lover might do before he jumped back in surprise of what he was about to do. His head was still fuzzy from the not-so-little amount of coke he snorted earlier. "They aren't the same. They aren't the same. They aren't the same." He left the bathroom repeating it over and over as Rachel watched him retreat.

She helped Don up and they made their way back to the bar counter. Don knew of course that Rachel was under age, but he knew she could use a drink after the little fiasco in the bathroom, so he handed her a beer. What he didn't know was that the three girls from earlier were waiting in a corner for them to appear again. So when they did, the girls quickly made their way to the bar to talk to the older man and his supposed daughter.

"Rachel? Can I please talk to you?" Rachel and Don both lifted their heads at the voice. When she noticed it was Brittany she shot a glare at Don that said 'I thought I told you to send them away.' Don shrugged his shoulders and went to serve another customer. "Why don't you want to talk to me? I thought we were friends."

"Look blondie, I don't know you or your stupid little friends so stop stalking me and get the hell outta here. I'm trying to enjoy my night and beer and you are currently ruining it for me." Rachel spat out maliciously. Why couldn't these girls understand she just wanted to be left alone?

"Britts, let's just go. She obviously is not who you thought she was and I really wants to get my mack on." 'San' whined. 'Q' started moving her hands in motions that Rachel couldn't understand again. "Oh shit, you're right Q! You do know Britts. You recognized her and addressed her by her full name without any of us telling you it."

Rachel suddenly hated the weird blonde with choppy hair and rolled her eyes at the not-so-insignificant fact. 'Q' crossed her arms over her chest and started tapping her foot. "Look other blondie, if you're waiting for something I suggest you go somewhere else. I obviously have nothing for you so leave and you three all need to stop following me like the lost puppies you are."

"Wow. You're more of a bitch than I am. All my friend Britts here wanted to do was make sure you were okay. I hope who ever beat the fuck outta you earlier finishes you off."

Something snapped in Rachel and she couldn't hold back her anger any longer. Her fist swung and connected with the Latina's jaw. Another punch was thrown at the Latina's eye and it was a direct hit. In mere seconds the stupid 'San' chick was on the ground and Rachel was looking down on her with pure satisfaction covering her face. "You're the lucky I don't finish you off. Now get outta here!"

Instead of leaving with her tail tucked between her legs like Rachel had hoped 'San' would, she got and started it back up again. "Back up bitch! I'm from Lima Heights Adjacent. You know what happens in The Heights? Cosas malas!" Surprisingly enough, there wasn't a crowd forming, but the music was loud and everybody was probably too drunk to care.

"Really? You're from The Heights? Please, you smell like a rich bitch's daughter and I ain't ever seen you around our neighborhood before. Now get your pretty face outta mine and don't come back or I'll pound you right back to ground."

"I am from The Heights! You are looking at Leroy's daughter right now." Rachel stiffened at the name she had come to despise so much. "Yeah, not so tough now are ya?"

"I really hate it when people who don't know me judge me, I hate it so much when people like you don't know how to leave me alone, but you know what I hate the most? I absolutely loathe when dumb bitches like you pretend you're me!" Rachel went to finish her off, but was held back by Don and…Brittany?

"Rachel, I said I wasn't going to tell you what to do, but I am gonna tell ya what not to do. Do not kill this girl. She's stupid and not worth your time" He tapped Brittany's arm and they both let go of me. "You don't wanna kill her. Remember that. You don't want to go to jail. You are not gonna be a low life like him. You will make it outta here and make Hiram proud."

With that Don retreated back behind the bar counter to continue serving everyone. Rachel put her hand to her temple and began rubbing. She was starting to get a headache and seeing the bitch in front of her was making it so much worse.

"Look, just walk away because I can't afford to go to prison for murder and I'm sure weird, choppy haired, blondie doesn't want you dead. And don't go around telling people you're Leroy's daughter it'll get you into a lot of trouble and you'll wind up dead." Rachel said through clenched teeth trying to stay calm.

'San' narrowed her eyes at Rachel. "Why in the hell would I listen to you?"

"Because Leroy doesn't quite like his daughter, in fact he hates her so much he blackens up her face every couple of days." Rachel began to rub the make-up off her face revealing the bruises they saw earlier. "Leroy also hates to pay his debts so when it's time to pay up and he doesn't have the money, the drug dealers come looking for his daughter with knife and she gets roughed up pretty bad." Rachel took off her jacket and lifted her shirt to show all the scars and cuts left on her abdomen and back.

"Leroy's daughter almost died once too, but Don over there found her and started to let her stay during any breaks or holidays when Leroy kicked her out since he hates the holidays. I think I know what I'm talking about so I would shut up and stop talking shit before you end up like her. And watch your back. Leroy's daughter hates it when people try and pretend to be her and if I know her at all, I'd say she won't hesitate to kill the next person that does."

Rachel pulled her shirt back down, put her jacket on, and went to bathroom to reapply her make-up all over again, leaving the three girls until they finally gave up and left.

* * *

"What the hell was I thinking?! No B! What the hell was she thinking? I would of killed her if there weren't so many witnesses!"

"Sanny, you wouldn't of killed her. You're not that mean. Besides, Rachie was really sad and upset. Killing people is just wrong, especially when you kill sad people."

Quinn started signing quickly and then doubled over in her strangely silent laughter. "Really Q, really? I would've so kicked that midget's ass." Quinn signed again while tears streamed down her face from how hard she was laughing. "Bullshit! She so did not beat me down! I let her do that. I could have kicked her ass if I wanted to." Quinn continued to silently laugh at Santana while Brittany tended to Santana's wounds and bruises.


	2. Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being told that Rachel was in Lima, Kurt attempts to talk to her, but is quickly kicked out.

 

**_Chapter Two:  
Old Friends_ **

Don noticed that the three girls left a while after everybody else had already gone home. They were stubborn and obviously concerned about Rachel. Okay, maybe the Latina girl wasn't, but the taller blonde had really wanted to talk to Rachel and Don thought it was such a shame that Rachel had refused to talk to them.

"Rachel, you should start studying so you can at least get your GED if you aren't going to graduate from a high school." Don said while he was cleaning glasses from the party earlier. "You don't have to or anything, so don't think I'm pushing you, but it would probably help you get into college and get outta this shitty town."

"Dad, I don't really think I have the brain for that. I'll find a job or something and pay for my way outta here. Don't worry about me." Rachel walked around picking up the other empty glasses that were left everywhere.

"I just don't wanna see ya become a Lima Loser like I did." Don looked down at his feet in slight shame.

"You are not a Lima Loser Don. You have quite a successful business and it brings all of us loners some joy on the holidays. And that's all that matters. Plus it was always your dream to own a bar or to help people in some way right?" He nodded and she continued. "And with this job you are doing both. I will find something I love and I will make a career of it. I promise."

"Alright, I trust you to make the right decisions." Don sighed out.

"Besides, I have been studying. I just don't understand any of the science bull shit. I can understand some the English, like the reading and stuff, but when it comes to grammar I get really lost. The math is fairly easy though, I like numbers."

"Oh. Sorry kiddo, we both know I'm no good with any of that. I wish I could help you. Ya know though, I'm sure those girls from earlier could help you."

"No! No way in any hell would I ever ask for help, especially from those-those, those bitches! Especially that 'San' girl. I swear if I ever see her again I will kill her. Didn't you hear her? She tried to pretend she was me, acting all bad-ass and shit. Granted she didn't know I was me, but still, is she stupid? Seriously it's like she was trying to get herself killed. I should of killed her or something myself."

"Rachel, you know that's wrong and I know you wouldn't really do it. How about you sit down and just relax for a bit, yeah?"

"Fine, but I really don't need any help with anything. I can make it out on my own."

"Of course you can." He sent her a genuine smile. "So what do you like to do anyways? We've never really talked about it."

"What do you mean?" She asked with a confused expression.

"Like, what are your hobbies and stuff? What do you do when you aren't home or hiding out here?"

"Oh. I guess, I like to ummm, well I don't really know. I guess I can sing and dance a bit. Other than that, I don't remember. It's been a long time since I've been able to relax or have fun and what not." Rachel scuffed her shoe on the ground trying to remember what she used to do so long ago.

It's not like she had many friends. Only a select few and even then they almost never got along. She had been the loud and annoying diva, which really just meant bitch in their little middle school eyes, and everyone picked on her. Even her so called friends. Granted they didn't do it a whole lot, but it still hurt.

_"Watch it Loserberry! Didn't you see the sign? No trolls allowed!" The group that constantly taunted her said as they threw a cup of soda at her. The middle school kids didn't have access to slushies like the high school kids, but they still attempted to be just like their older brothers, sisters, and friends._

_Mercedes and Puck walked by as it happened and they only laughed at her. "Damn Jew Babe, they really did a number on you today. If you weren't all covered in pop we coulda had a good and comforting make out session and stuff if ya know what I mean." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, but Rachel just walked away in search of Kurt and the nearest bathroom._

Rachel began to wonder if Puck was still a Man-Slut, became a Man-Whore, or finally grew up. "I guess I'll never know." She muttered to herself.

"What was that?" Don asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Oh, I said I should start singing again. It's been a while and I would just love to know if I still had my voice."

"Well, when you find out that you do still have your voice, you should sing here. And if the crowd likes you, then I guess I'll have to hire you." Don winked before putting the last glasses away. "Good night. Be sure to tell me when you do start to sing again."

Rachel couldn't believe what she had just heard. She might actually get a job! Nobody had ever wanted to hire a kid growing up in Lima Heights Adjacent because they were to afraid they would bring trouble with them. And now, once again, Don was helping her out and giving her, her first job. Even if she had a shitty night for the most part, it ended well enough considering the many nights of pain she had before.

And of course those nights were courtesy of Leroy James, the most abusive, stupid, fucking dick head in the state of Ohio. The punches, the kicks, and the whips against her face, stomach, and back kept her black and blue. The exhaustion of her body could not avail to the bruises left everywhere. Sleep was never easy in the first place, what with Rachel being the extremely light sleeper she was, but now it was just plain impossible.

It was moments like these when Rachel would go back to her childhood mind and wish she was Kim Possible. That way she could kick the bad guy's ass, Leroy's in this case, and go home to a nice warm bed and a loving family. Anything is possible for a Possible, but I'm not a Possible. I'm just Rachel, the world's fucking punching bag. I must have done something wrong for every-

Rachel's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the bar door. Clearly the sign out there said "Closed" so who the hell was so stupid that they couldn't even read such a simple word. "Hello? I know you're in there so let me in." She heard a girlish-boy's voice shout through. "Rachel, let me in!" Now Rachel was freaked as she sat there just hoping the boy would go away. He clearly hadn't gone through puberty yet and she didn't need any of the stupid little boys from her neighborhood crushing on her enough to stalk her all hours into the night.

"I don't care if stay out there all night, but I am not opening this door! We are closed so go away or I'll call the police!" Rachel grabbed a bat from its hiding place behind the counter and approached the door slowly.

"You'd call the police? On your best friend?" Now Rachel was just confused. She had no friends.

"Who the fuck are you and what do you want from me?"

"Rach, it's Kurt. Now open this door or I'll go find Puck or Santana to pick the lock!" Rachel scrambled to get the key from the back office and scrambled back to open the door. "Thank you. Now on to business, where h-"

"Shut up! What the fuck are you doing here?" She asked holding the bat length wise towards him so he couldn't get any closer to her. "And how the hell did you know I was here?!"

"If you didn't interrupt me so rudely I would have already told you. Back on subject, Brittany, Santana and Quinn said they saw you here. Obviously Santana and Quinn were still confused as to who you were when I had a minor, albeit diva, freak out moment at the mention of your name, but still they all saw you and I just had to come say hello and ask you what was going on. Brittany said you had bruises all over your face, but I don't see them now so she must have just been confused. And then Quinn and Santana said that you recognized Brittany, but then tried to hide it and s-"

"OH MY GOD! Just shut up already! Look, I need to sleep so could you please leave. You can come back tomorrow if you need a drink sir. Otherwise, don't bother me or I'll have a restraining order placed on you. Have a nice rest of your night." Rachel pushed him out the door with the bat, closed and locked it, the slumped against it.

* * *

"She pushed you out and slammed the door in your face? Just like that? That's it. Imma go all Lima Heights Adjacent on her ass. Nobody messes with Porcelain except for me!"

"San, calm down. Rach just doesn't want to remember us I think." Kurt's face showed even more hurt than before and that was the final straw. Nobody messes with her Gay! Santana went to go find this girl when she felt Brittany and Kurt hold her back. "San, you can't beat her up. She's still a friend to me even if she doesn't see me as a friend. Plus, she already kicked you down once, I'm sure Rach could do it again."

"Brittany is right Satan. I don't care if she doesn't want to be friends any more, she was still a good one even with the way we treated her."

This piqued Santana's interest. "What do you mean? What did you do to her?"

"Look, understand that this isn't the nicest town. Remember when you came to town and slushies were being thrown up and down the halls of McKinley?"

"Of course. Then I found Q and immediately fought against it and eventually we all got them to stop." Santana raised one of her eyebrows at Kurt as she answered.

"McKinley students were our idols when we were middle schoolers. Not just us either, the whole student population looked up to McKinley. We wanted to be just like the high school kids. Instead of slushies though, we just threw pop around. I never personally did, nor did Brittany, but we never helped anyone or tried to stop it."

"And? So you didn't try to stop it. You guys were still young and didn't know any better, well you did, but everyone makes mistakes. What are you leaving out?"

"Rachel got 'slushied' a lot and we did nothing to help her. For the most part we either avoided her when the bullies came 'round or we laughed. Puck was the one who laughed the most though. I think he thought it was harmless. He still did until you showed him up your second day at McKinley."

"And you wonder why she kicked you out and slammed the door in your face. You are pathetic. All of you, whoever else were friends with her, are pathetic. I'm not a genius or anything, but I'm pretty sure people don't generally like being laughed at by their friends when they are humiliated."

"Hey! There is no need to call me names. Do you know how hard it was for me to be in middle school, trying to sort out my sexuality and avoid the bullying? I'm amazed I even got out alive. There was a boy, Sebastian; he killed himself due to bullying and trying to deal with his taboo feelings. And I know it wasn't right to just let Rachel deal on her own, but I just needed to protect myself. I wasn't strong enough for the both of us. I understand that now, but back then I was just a stupid kid. I've forgiven myself and all I need is Rachel's forgiveness."

"I still can't believe you just let it all happen Baby-face. When I moved here and started at McKinley you were standing up for everyone. What happened between Rachel and high school?" Santana asked ignoring Quinn and Brittany completely, even as Brittany kept trying to get a word in.

"Rachel happened." Kurt stated matter-of-factly.

"What?!"

"She disappeared and I figured she just up and left us. I blamed myself for her leaving and it took a while, but I grew some balls and started sticking up for the rest of my friends, old and new, as to not lose them also. Rachel and I were supposed to be bestie's for life. We were divas when we were still in diapers. I'm amazed she's even back with the way the whole town treated her and after what happened to her father." Kurt dropped his gaze to the floor as a look of sadness and pain crossed his face.

"Wait, what happened to Rachie's daddy? We just saw him." Santana and Quinn nodded along to Brittany's statement.

"Brittany, that is quite impossible. Rachel's dad died years ago. He was shot in his own drive way right in front of Rachel." Kurt said it in so low of a voice that the two blondes and the brunette had to strain to hear it.

"But we were just at that bar on the other end of town, and the owner said he was Rachie's dad."

"Yeah, did that fuck head lie to the Santana Lopez!?"

"Don? Don said he was Rachel's dad?"

"Yes. And he told us that she wanted to be left alone." Santana said for Quinn who was signing again.

"Don hasn't had any kids. He's never had a serious relationship either. He's too busy with his work. My dad is like best friends, or bros, with him." Brittany looked at Kurt with a very confused expression. "Brittany, did you ever even meet Mr. Berry or see a picture of him?"

"No. Why?"

"Because that guy was not Rachel's father. Rachel's dad is dead, six feet under. I just told you this." Kurt face palmed as he spoke. He didn't mean to sound insensitive, but sometimes Brittany really needed things put bluntly.

"Well then why would this 'Don' guy say he was her dad? Kurt, this already didn't make sense to me because I don't even know this Rachel chick, but now I'm even more confused." Santana said with fair amount of snark in her voice.

"I don't know Satan! She shut the door in my face! We'll just have to try to talk to her again tomorrow because it's really late and I need sleep if I'm going to look pretty enough for Blaine." Kurt hugged Brittany and Quinn, but knew better than to touch Santana. "Call me tomorrow and we'll go find her again. Maybe we can get her to talk to us if we're all there."

"Bye Kurt! Tell Blaine I said hi!"

"Of course Brittany." Kurt left feeling slightly guilty for lying to the girls, but he had to try again on his own.

* * *

Kurt called the number he only used if his own father wasn't available.

"Hello?"

"Don, can you let me in. I'm really stressed and I need a drink."

"Oh, umm, sure. Don't tell anyone. I love my job and I'd rather not loose the place for giving an underage alcohol."

"Of course Don. I'd get my dad to, but he's having alone time with Carol, if ya know what I mean."

"Kurt, too much at this hour. Now hold on." Kurt hung up the phone and tapped his foot as he waited. Yeah, he was definitely a diva and he was damn proud of it. When Don finally opened the door in his bunny slippers, he ushered Kurt inside quickly. He grabbed a Corona Light for Kurt and a Sam Adams for himself. "What's got ya so stressed kid?"

"Rachel, ya know the girl you claim as your daughter?" Don shifted his eyes downward slightly, but Kurt still caught it. "Yeah I saw her tonight after some friends of mine had a slight altercation with her. Ya know, Rachel and I, we used to be friends?" When Don's face had a brief wave of shock pass over it, Kurt chuckled. "Shocking isn't it? I hear Rachel's gone through some changes. I mean, she beat the shit outta of my friend Santana."

"The Latina girl?"

"Yeah that one. She wants to kill the little star so much, but she also wants to kill me and some of mine and Rachel's other friends from so long ago. We deserve it though, after the way we treated Rachel. The taller blonde from earlier, her name is Brittany. Brittany, Rachel, and I were practically inseparable.

"Then there was Mercedes and Puck. Those two I would like to say were worse than me and Brittany. Brittany and I never did anything and that was the problem because we didn't help with the bullying at school either. Mercedes and Puck on the other hand, they laughed about it. They aren't bad people, I swear, but we were all young and just trying to make it through that awkward middle school phase.

"That definitely does not excuse our actions. I was hoping to make everything right between us when Brittany said she found her. We all thought Rachel left, ya know. We tried to call her and round her house, but it was vacated. Brittany stopped talking to everyone when we all realized Rachel wasn't coming back. None of the teacher's knew where she went either.

"They asked us every single day for the rest of the school year if we heard from her. Of course we always said no and it broke our hearts to know she was lost to us forever. Then we got to high school and we all gave up. Even Brittany, which was the most surprising thing of my young life. It still is.

"Let me tell you something about Brittany. She has the purest soul in Ohio if not the whole United States. Possibly the world. If Brittany gave up, than all hope was lost. We all put Rachel out of our minds. We attempted to forget her and we urged Brittany to forget her too.

"Obviously she couldn't do that so she got angry with us and stopped talking to everyone she knew. She regressed back into a child's mind. For the longest time she kept to herself and we all just overlooked it. Then a new girl came to town, Santana. She was feisty and hated everyone.

"Santana met our mute friend, Quinn; she's the one with the short blonde-pink hair. Anyways, Santana turned down the wrong corner and saw a group pushing Quinn around and as soon as they dumped a slushie on her, Santana jumped in and the rest is history.

"What Santana says happened next sounds a little strange, but Santana and Brittany have always had this connection, like they were long lost sisters. Santana said that Brittany came calling Quinn's name and saw her in Santana's arms with bullies walking away with scowls on their faces. Brittany immediately asked if Quinn was okay and then hugged and thanked Santana.

"They walked off to a bathroom to clean Quinn up. Twenty-four hours later the three of them become the Un-holy Trinity and take over the Cheerios. I guess Quinn went to the same church as Brittany and they had been friends since Brittany confided in her about her feelings of Rachel's disappearance. Then Santana enters the picture and they all become best friends. Quinn and Santana become just that little bit more."

"I don't see why you're telling me all of this Kurt. No of this has anything to do with me."

"But it does! It has everything to do with you! They may be the Un-holy Trinity, I may have a boyfriend now, and Puck may have a reputation for being amazing in bed, but there will always be that part missing. We need Rachel back and you have her."

"I don't have her. She's not mine to keep or give away. You know this don't you?"

"Yeah, I know, but it's always nice to hope that things were that easy. When I said I saw her today, I really did. I came by earlier and she let me in for about ten seconds before she pushed me out the door and slammed it in my face. She's changed and I don't like it."

"That she has. You can keep coming around for about another week. That's how long she'll be here, then she has to go back home. You and those friends have a week. Put it to good use because I have a feeling this week is going to be the last time I see her. She has plans to getting out and I have no doubt she can do it."

"Of course. Thank you so much Don." Kurt finished his beer before throwing both bottles away. "I'll be back tomorrow with Brittany. I don't think it's quite appropriate to bring Santana or Quinn around since they don't even know her."

"Sure. And Kurt, be careful. There's a lot you don't know 'cause I'm pretty sure those girls didn't tell you everything that transpired here tonight."

"Transpired? Reading a dictionary for once are we?"

"Yeah, it's Rachel's. I was looking at what she was studying. Seriously, be careful with her."

"I will, cross my heart." Kurt hugged Don before actually making his way home.


	3. Blaine 'Quinton' Anderson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blaine's secret past comes out to play as he, Kurt, and Brittany search for Rachel down the Alleys of Lima Heights Adjacent.

 

_**Chapter Three:** _   
_**Blaine 'Quinton' Anderson** _

"Kurt, I really don't think we should be here. I've heard stories and I think it sounds pretty scary and dangerous. I'm too young to die." Blaine said being the perfect, scared boyfriend that Kurt loved to protect.

"Don't worry my dear Warbler. I'm sure all the crap that Santana said about the Heights was wrong." Kurt said all knowingly, or so he thought.

"Yeah Other Gay Boy, San just needs to pretend to be bad-ass so she can protect me and Q. She doesn't really live over here." Brittany said cheerfully. They all continued to walk along the dusty rail road tracks. They would periodically check alleys and shops for any signs of their long lost friend, but Brittany and Kurt's advice on not listening to Santana's stories of The Heights did nothing to soothe Blaine.

Blaine knew exactly what The Heights were like as he had grown up in the alleys and run-down apartments on the wrong side of the tracks. His mother had died early on in his child hood due to breast cancer. It was rare, but the cancer had some how spread to liver and Mrs. Quinton had died of organ failure, leaving Blaine with his father. Now his father wasn't a bad guy and definitely didn't deserve to die the way he did. Mainly because he was truly and honest and hard working man. But that didn't matter if some gang or group decided you owed them money. It also doesn't matter what kind of person you are when they decide to kill you slowly for not having the money they want.

So Blaine knew what it was like in The Heights because after both of his parents died, he got involved into the gangs of Lima Heights Adjacent. And originally he never really planned on leaving. Sure he dreamed of it, dreamed of getting out, but he knew in his heart and mind that it was impossible, not to mention he had come to hold 'The Heights' in a special place in his heart as well as those of the gangs he was involved in. That was until the day he was hit by a car and immediately rushed to the hospital at fifteen years old. Only three days after turning fifteen he was thrown into a hospital and then into a foster care home after it was discovered he had no parents.

Then a year later he was adopted by the Anderson's and changed his name along with the adoption. He didn't want anyone to find him. But it seemed no matter how far he ran or where he'd hide, his past would catch up and grab him. So here he was at seventeen, trying even harder to get away as Kurt and Brittany suddenly had black pillow cases thrown over their heads and thrown to the ground. And while Blaine expected to have one thrown over his head as well, it never happened. Instead he was given the chance to look around, to see all of the old faces he never wished to see again before being pushed to the ground as well. Now that he was seeing these faces though-

"Long time no see Blainey Boy. Heard ya changed yer name. Ya tryin' to hide from us? Ya shoulda known you can't get away from us!" Braeden laughed maniacally before pulling Blaine back towards him by the ankle as Blaine attempted back away. "No escaping us now ya stupid Quinton boy. Yer just dumb as yer daddy. Guess that's why he got shot, isn't it?"

Blaine could easily handle anyone talking shit about him, but they were now insulting his father and that was not allowed! Blaine threw himself up at Braeden and managed to get a couple of hits to the antagonizing boy's face before being pulled away and thrown back to the ground. "Do NOT talk about my dad ever again! Keep him and his name out of your filthy mouth!"

"STOP! Razi, bring him over here. Heath and Lucas, take Braeden home. I can't have all you idiots fighting on my streets!" There was a chorus of 'Yes Ma'am's' and Braeden, Heath and Lucas left. Razi smacked Blaine upside the head to bring his attention to the woman in front of him. "Now what seems to be the problem Mr. Quinton? You should be happy to be home, back with your brothers and sisters."

"It's Anderson now. Blaine Anderson, Miss James. It's not that I'm not happy, I just don't appreciate my friends being pushed around and that kid talking about my father that way! I mean if he's going to talk about anyone's dad it should be yours! That assh-" Blaine was cut off by a slap to the face. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

"Oh Blaine, it's a little late for apologies. The damage has been done. Besides, you left long ago. We've all been waiting for you to return. You owe all of us a great deal after we took you in. I mean after your father died, you had no where else to go. You should have been grateful and yet you treat me of all people this way!"

"Rachel?!" The voice that rung out from under the pillow case shocked everyone. "Rachie is that you?" Both voices scared Rachel.

"Who have you brought here!?" She kicked Blaine to the ground. "What are you doing here with these outsiders!?" Another kick, to the ribs this time, and Blaine spit up a little blood.

"I didn't bring them. They brought me. They're looking for someone!" Blaine knew she was definitely the one they were looking for. Obviously his previous mentor really didn't want to be found and he wouldn't give her up to a couple of prep kids from Upper Lima, no matter how much he loved them.

Nothing scared Rachel more than that last sentence for she now knew who's faces were hidden. There wasn't much Rachel could do, but have them escorted back to another part Lima. Granted, she could have them taken care of in other ways, but she couldn't bring herself to it when she had known them for so long.

"Daren, Ebony! Please take those two back to Upper Lima. Drop them off at... Where do you losers go to school?" Rachel directed the question to Blaine.

"McKinley Miss James. Thank you for letting them go."

"Yeah, whatever. Take them to McKinley. I'm sure these idiots can make it home from there."

"Sure thing, boss. We takin' 'em blind?"

"No. They've harassed me enough to know exactly who I am. That I'm not who they want me to be."

"Okay then... get up you two." The cases were pulled off of Brittany and Kurt's heads.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You used to be such a sweet kid. I get that we weren't the greatest friends, but you shouldn't be such a bi-" Ebony, having no problems hitting a gay kid, punched him in the diaphram with calculated force and he fell to his knees.

"Hey!" Brittany screamed and immediately helped Kurt up. "Leave him alone!"

"Maybe the kid shouldn't talk to the boss that way then. Hopefully he's learned his lesson." Daren scolded. "Now get walking. We have a while to go before we get to your stupid school."

"Wait, about Blaine Warbler? He's our friend and Glee's going to miss him if we don't bring him back."

"Yeah that's my boyfriend you're messing with!"

"We'll return your precious little Quinton boy later. Now get them out of here!" Ebony and Daren started to drag and push Brittany and Kurt down the road despite their protests. Even with Brittany trying to get Rachel to come back to them and with Kurt crying for Blaine to be let go, they managed to get them a few blocks away before calling for a ride. Ebony and Daren just couldn't handle the annoying Upper Lima brats anymore.

* * *

"Listen here Blaine, you disappeared and never came back. You ran away and you choose now to come back, alone with those two. Could be any stupider?" Rachel shook her head in disappointment. She had took him on herself. Showed him the ropes of 'The Heights.' Then he left. Sure he was hit by car and shit happens, yet he never attempted to come back. He used to be just as ruthless and did anything to survive. He was strong once. But now, he was different. He came back weak and pathetic. Insulting her and her so called father. He came back with the two that didn't know when to give up. "You could've had a second chance had you not insulted me."

"I'm sorry! I just couldn't let Kurt and Brittany see me do this..." Blaine trailed off as he got on one knee and bowed his head.

"You aren't proposing to me now, are you?" Rachel cocked an eyebrow and Blaine began to laugh a bit.

"Of course not Miss James! I would like to formally request entrance back into your band of outcasts. We worked well together and as much as I love my family and friends in Upper Lima, this was my home during those dark days. You helped me more than anyone and showed me the best path to avenge my father. Kurt doesn't have to know. Please accept me once more?" Blaine was an odd kid and Rachel could tell he did miss his brothers and sisters from Lima Heights Adjacent, yet he still wasn't ready to give up all that Upper Lima had to offer.

"And what will you say when this Kurt guy starts questioning your whereabouts all the time? Obviously you know now that I'm the one they've been trying to find. If you start disappearing a lot of the time they will begin to question you."

"Don't worry about it. I've got a plan forming already. Don't forget Miss James, I'm the smartest kid this group has seen other than you and Jesse. I can't be caught." Rachel held out her hand and Blaine shook it instantly and got up on his own.

"I'm trusting you this once Quinton. Don't screw it up. Now c'mon, I'll give you a lift to another part of town. Give me or Jesse a call sometime soon if you really want to start up again. We've got a date Friday and it'd be great if you could come." With that, Rachel found a truck and they drove to Blaine's house with plans for Friday's 'date'.

* * *

Santana was still mad at Kurt, Puck, Mercedes and everyone else involved with letting Rachel get bullied during their younger years. Hell, she may still want to put the little bitch in her place, but to pose as a friend and then laugh at her whenever she was being picked on? No. Santana Lopez did not agree with that. So when Kurt called and texted, asking for a ride, she ignored him. Then Brittany started calling and she ignored her too, until Brittany sent her a text saying Rachel took Blaine and left them alone.

Santana was angry that this chick was now messing with her Other Gay Boy. Sure, Kurt kind of deserved it, but Blaine had never met her! Hell, he moved to Lima after Santana had already began to clean up McKinley's act. So Santana sped her way to McKinley to pick up Kurt and Brittany before picking up Quinn so they could all talk about what happened and figure out how to get Blaine back.

"Okay, so all I know right now is that this Rachel girl, she has Blaine?" Santana's fist clenched and un-clenched a few times before either Brittany or Kurt even thought to answer.

"In a way yeah... He knows her for sure. He called her by a different name though. He kept saying Miss James as if she was superior to him somehow."

"Yeah San. Blaine Warbler called her Miss James like she said her name was the other night. She ignored us though this time. I tried to get her to come back with us, but these guys just kept pushing us away until we couldn't see her anymore. Then they put us in a truck and drove us to school. It sucked big time."

Quinn started signing and Brittany got confused. She never did learn sign language as Santana had and Kurt wasn't nearly as fluent as Santana. "She says James is that Leroy guy's last name. He has some big gang over in Lima Heights Adjacent and his daughter runs a lot of it. Q, we already know that. There has to be more!" Quinn pulled up a page on her phone and handed it to Santana. "Well shit. This girl has to be his daughter. Or at least step-daughter. Jewfro wrote some big article on this gang or whatever they are."

"Well, what the hell does it say Satan?"

"Rachel James, hot and hot-headed, runs Lima's Junior Power gang along with a Jesse St. James and another un-named boy. Despite not being of the same blood as Leroy James, Miss James has been handed control as she is of the same generation as many of the members. Miss James is a short brunette, but despite her size she is scarier than Santana Lopez-hey! Nobody is scarier than me! How dare that loser compare me to this girl!"

"Santana! We'd prefer to hear the rest of this, not your stupid complaints!"

"Blah blah blah, fine. Well I guess this Rachel chick you're all so obsessed with is just some major bad-ass that commands Lima's Junior Power. This St. James guy though, really is the Leroy's son, but changed his name because it flowed better or some shit. And this other guy Rachel runs the gang with just disappeared. He was with them for about a year or two before just vanishing. There are rumors of a car accident resulting in his death or relocation, but no one really knows."

"So two, possibly three heads of this gang? That's a little unusual for a small town like Lima."

"Jewfro's blog says that there are members of the gang that reside in all three parts of Lima as well as other small towns nearby. St. James covers Upper Lima and towns North and East of Lima. Rachel, or Miss James, covers Lima Heights Adjacent and the towns West of Lima. This unknown guy did cover Lima Heights and the towns South of Lima, but since his disappearance, Miss James has taken responsibility of the abandoned section and towns."

"Is there anything that could help us get Blaine back?" Brittany asked as Quinn took back the phone. Quinn shook her head as she scanned the article once more before signing to Santana.

"Ugh not really. The rest of the article goes on to talk about their personalities and why they joined Lima's Junior Power. Nothing majorly useful though. They didn't talk much with Jewfro and it took a lot of digging to find what he did. Look, maybe we need to just wait and see what happens with Blaine. If we don't hear from him or see him in the next twenty-four hours, then we call the police."

"Santana, calling the police would be like calling Mr. Schue. They are useless around here. We'll have to go get him back ourselves!" Kurt yelled dramatically. "I can't just sit here not knowing what to do. God knows what they're doing to him ri-"

"What? What is it?" Brittany asked while grabbing at Kurt's phone to see what he was currently looking at. "Oh Blaine wants us to go pick him up! Yay, I knew Rachie couldn't hurt him! C'mon guys, let's go!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well this is shorter than I wanted. I had more written, but I accidentally closed it before I saved what I had just written...smh. Anyways, read and review and feel free to yell at me for not saving like the idiot I am! :D


	4. An Actor Is Only As Good As His Mentor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blaine spins a quick story to throw Kurt, Brittany, Quinn and Santana off track.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's almost been a month since I last updated. God, I am the worst at updating and I can't even begin to say how sorry I am that it took so long.

 

  
_**Chapter Four:** _   
_**An Actor Is Only As Good As His Mentor** _

Blaine was acting just as he always did, a skill learned from Rachel. She told him he was a quick learner, smarter than most of the idiots in her crew. He followed orders and was an impeccable actor. He almost had Rachel fooled sometimes. Almost. And that was a 's why Rachel and the rest of Lima's Junior Power tried so hard to keep him on their good side after another gang, Rail-22, killed his father. They went so far as to personally help him get revenge. Even Jesse showed up for once, only after reading Rachel's report on him though.

Jesse had always been a strange one. Shelby never met Jesse, Leroy's only kid, since he went to New York to start a career. It didn't help that Leroy despised his son's dreams and never spoke of him. However, after ultimately failing to make it big in New York, Jesse returned to Lima and Leroy handed him the responsibility of Upper Lima. While it was a small section, Jesse couldn't have been happier. It meant that Leroy had a small bit of faith in him and trusted him enough not to screw up the rich part of Lima.

Less than a month after Jesse's return, Leroy decided it was time to pass down the rest of Lima, but only because he wanted more free time. So he told Jesse to find two good candidates to take charge of the other two Lima territories. Jesse immediately asked Rachel to take Lima Heights Adjacent since she had been living there the longest and knew more than he did about the area.

Picking Blaine to cover Lima Heights was surprising to everyone, including Jesse himself. Blaine had only been a part of the gang for a little over two months and no one expected him to be ready. Yet, for some reason, Jesse's little 'sister' recommended Blaine be put through a test, physical and intellectual. It wasn't long before everyone saw how qualified Blaine was and Jesse had no choice, but to give him Lima Heights.

Everything went great for a while. No attacks on Lima by rival gangs. No one dared step into Lima Heights Adjacent territory un-welcomed. Blaine, so devoted to the new life-style, brought his reports every Tuesday to ensure everything ran smoothly. It was then he found Rachel, his mentor and possibly only friend, out cold, on the hard wood floor of her room, with an empty pill bottle next to her. The papers fell from Blaine's hands instantly and everything blurred by in slow motion.

Against his better judgement, he called 911. He checked for a pulse and found a very faint beat, slow enough that the hands on the school clocks moved faster. Then he picked up the scattered papers quickly and ran them through the shredder next to Rachel's desk. He ran back to her almost lifeless body and began CPR with no luck. Right as he was about to give up, medics rushed in and took over. A few officers filed in as well and one escorted Blaine out of the room.

The man that escorted him began to ask questions, but was quickly distracted and ordered to control the crowd that formed around the run down house that Rachel and Leroy occupied. Blaine made his escape once the cops were all to busy to pay attention to him. After everything had died down, Rachel got out of the hospital. It only took a few days for them to convince everyone she wasn't suicidal. As soon as they let her go home, Leroy called an 'emergency meeting'.

"You stupid girl! How dare you try and fuck everything up like that?!" Blaine watched in horror as Leroy struck her across the face with the back of his hand. Rachel, trying desperately not to anger the man any further just went with the motions as he struck her a few more times before picking herself up. "And you, what is your name you stupid fuck up?" Leroy glared at Blaine and took a few steps closer so he was up in Blaine's face. Blaine couldn't believe what he had witnessed. Leroy just beat his own daughter, or step-daughter he should say. Blaine remained still out of shock until he was slapped out of his daze. "Answer me now!"

"It's Blaine, sir. Blaine Quinton..."

"Consider this a warning. Never, under any circumstances, are you to call any emergency lines. I will not have you fuck up my operations! You understand me?" Leroy chuckled grimly at the fear etched across Blaine's face. "You should be afraid. Now clean this mess up."

Jesse made quick work of the blood on the carpet and directing Blaine to stop Rachel's lip and nose from bleeding anywhere else. "You're an idiot Rachel, I mean Jesus Christ, if you're gonna kill yourself, at least do it right and do it where no one will stop you. And damn it Blaine, we let you in to the circle because we thought you could handle it. I mean what the fuck were you thinking calling 911 like that? You are so lucky he was in a good mood today and got a little something or he'd be burying your body right about now."

Blaine quickly learned that Jesse was a bit of an asshole, but only because he cared. Jesse practically invented tough love when it came to Rachel. Blaine also learned to never piss off Rachel James as she would personally kick your ass and threaten to kill you and anyone that could possibly matter to you. "Don't you ever, and I mean ever, interfere with my business again! And for Christ's sake, learn to act or control your emotions or something. Showing him any fear will just egg him on."

Jesse nodded in agreement slowly and the 'emergency meeting' concluded with Rachel promising to help Blaine with his emotion control. She worked with him every Tuesday and Friday night and he quickly became a great actor. Almost as good as herself. Almost.

There were a lot of almost's when it came to Blaine and it scared everyone except for Rachel, who trained him and knew what he was and wasn't capable of, and Jesse, who would always be on top due to blood status.

And now, Blaine hoped his acting was still up to par as he stood in front of his boyfriend and closest friends.

"Oh Blaine! Thank God you are alright. She didn't do anything to you did she?

_"What do I tell them?"_

_"Anything you want. I trust you so don't fuck this up."_

_"I won't. Not again..."_

"Nothing, she didn't do anything. After everyone left I took care of her..."

"What do you mean you took care of her?! Jewfro wrote that she's supposedly scarier than me!"

"Yeah Blaine Warbler, you better have been nice. She's our friend, even if she won't admit it." Brittany nodded her head in finality and everyone's eyebrows rose. "Unless she was mean to you first of course..."

"Anyways, I just told her to back off and may or may not threatened her a bit..."

"Are you absolutely insane? We've been searching the internet and she is more dangerous than I could have ever imagined! She is Leroy's step-daughter. The crazy drug dealer and gang leader and god knows what Rachel's like now if she was raised by him for the last four years. And how do you know her exactly?"

Blaine knew he'd have to tell at least a half-truth to deceive them all, especially with Quinn there. Being mute taught her a lot on how to read a person's actions and the true meaning behind spoken words.

"Please, we need to go back to your house or somewhere safe if we are going to talk about this. Not to mention I'm freezing just standing here in the snow."

* * *

"Okay, speak now Anderson. I want to know how you know this psycho."

"Alright, please keep an open mind now..." Blaine made sure to keep his hands out of sight, as they were usually a give away to his lies, and his face an emotionless mask. "...I used to be a part of Lima's Junior Power." They all gasped and Santana began to pace while swearing left and right in Spanish. After Quinn and Brittany calmed her down, six minutes and thirty-two seconds later, Blaine continued on. "I lived over in LHA, short for Lima Heights Adjacent, and it wasn't always easy. Most of us didn't go to school and our parents and horrible jobs and couldn't afford anything, including somewhere to live."

"And what? You thought joining some stupid gang would help? Dammit Other Gay, that is the stupidest thing I've heard."

"No Santana, that isn't what I thought. It's what I knew. I never planned to officially join the gang." An idea popped into his head and he couldn't stop himself from creating a story. "At first I was just running drugs to make a little money and help out. I was careful and I didn't do anything extreme. I got greedy though. I started selling anything and everything and I couldn't stop myself because I liked the money too much. I was doing well enough and I stayed loyal to the JP, Junior Power that is, and they offered me a permanent spot. I only took it because it meant more money and my mom and dad were finally able to eat and make it to meetings and interviews."

"Oh Jesus Christ, now you're a criminal?! Kurt, you are dating a criminal!" Santana's outburst wasn't very surprising, but what she said next was. "You need to leave. Get out of my house!"

Kurt immediately shot up to defend his boyfriend, despite knowing who he really was now. "Shut up Satan. He obviously isn't like that anymore. He lives right by the high school now and he's so different now. We've all seen it! Hell, we go to school with him now."

"Don't you dare get in my face like that again Hummel. I'm only letting him stay so I can get more info on this Rachel bitch and figure out what to do about her. Now hurry up and get to explaining!"

"As I was saying, they were able to make it to more interviews and eventually my dad got a job and a few months later we were able to move and it forced me to give up that life. As for Rachel, I don't know a whole lot except to be very afraid of her, her dad, and her brother."

At this Kurt interrupted, "That man is not her father. Her dad died years ago."

"As far as I'm concerned, and well, anyone else is really, Leroy is her dad. Today she planned to take me to him, but I managed to get away before she could get Jesse or her goons to back her up. She seems to have gotten weaker since last time I ran into her."

"Last time?" Santana asked for Quinn who had made quick work of her hands.

"I ran into as we were leaving and she showed screaming at me and throwing punches. Eventually she brought out a knife and that's where I got this scar." Blaine pointed to the jagged line across his lower right cheek. The one he had really gotten from the car that ran him down.

"Well shit. This bitch absolutely nuts." Santana stood and pulled Quinn up with her. "C'mon, I'll take all of you losers home and we'll talk about this more tomorrow."

Blaine stared out the back window the whole ride, still not believing that after so long, he could still fool almost anyone.

* * *

"I think you will be pleased to know, we've got Blaine back on our side. He was the kid with all the hair gel and got hit by that car."

"Oh really, and how did you manage that? You might just get away without a punishment tonight." A smirk graced Leroy's features and Rachel continued on.

"Not much. He was walking around my territory and we cornered him and he asked to join back up. At least we know he isn't stupid enough to try and run."

"Hmm, and this is the boy that helped with Lima Heights?"

"Yes sir." Rachel stood straight as Leroy spun in his chair to speak to her directly.

"Well, we were certainly more profitable in that area when he was around, weren't we?"

"Yes sir we were."

"It will be a great pleasure to have him back. Inform your brother at once and set up a meeting for him and me."

"I've already told him to meet me Friday and to call me or Jesse soon."

"Good, good. You're dismissed!"

* * *

Kurt walked Blaine to his front door like every other night.

"Look Kurt, I really hope that what I told you guys tonight really doesn't put a strain on our relationship. I love you, with all my heart, and I never want to let you go if I can help it."

"Aww Blaine, I'm just glad you finally told me before something happened to you. I'm going to protect you from now on. Nothing will ever get in the way of us. I promise." Kurt placed a soft kiss in the corner of Blaine's mouth and quickly walked back to Santana's car.

As soon as the car pulled away, Blaine took out his phone.

_"Hello?"_

"Hey it's me. I'm one-hundred percent sure. I'll be there Friday."

_"Alight, see you then."_

He hung up and went inside without anyone suspecting a thing.

* * *

When Santana dropped Kurt, Brittany and Quinn off, Quinn stayed behind to talk to Santana. Brittany and Kurt assumed it was to say good night to her girlfriend properly, but that was far from the truth. Quinn signed a couple of sentences before kissing Santana good night and running off to her house. Quinn's words ran through Santna's mind until she finally fell asleep sometime after three in the morning.

_"Don't trust Blaine. Everything he said was a lie."_


End file.
